25 festive pop songs perfect for your holiday playlist

“Christmas Tree” – Lady Gaga

It seems like Lady Gaga is on her way to becoming an Oscar winner with her critically acclaimed performance in this year’s A Star Is Born, but way back in 2008, she was just a newcomer on the pop music scene with her debut album The Fame. She was already making noise with her new brand of electropop and her penchant for not wearing pants, but her Christmas song really got people talking.

Nowadays, we know that Gaga is a multifaceted, talented singer-songwriter, but back in 2008 we were still getting to know her and her vocal abilities. To many, she was just a controversial shock-pop act, and when she released “Christmas Tree” in 2008 many people probably thought it was just another way for her to shock her audience. When you think of holiday carols, you don’t think “sexy,” but you know that Lady Gaga had to spice things up just a little bit, and that’s exactly what she did.

“Christmas Tree” featuring Space Cowboy (who also produced the song), samples classic holiday standard “Deck the Halls” as well as “The Little Drummer Boy” but it is definitely nothing like either of those songs. Instead, it’s a synth-pop dance track that filled with sexual innuendo: “Light me up, put me on top, let’s fa la la la la la la la la … Ho ho ho under the mistletoe, yes everybody knows, we will take of our clothes.” Gaga also repeatedly says “My Christmas tree’s delicious,” in case there was any doubt about this song being filthy.

Of course this one doesn’t have a place on every holiday playlist — I’d avoid playing it during your Christmas feast, unless you want Grandma to have a heart attack — but it’s fun and sexy, and so very Gaga.